Europe's first reusable spacecraft Space Rider passes heat tests (xataka.com)

• Space Rider thermal shield withstands 1,600°C in ESA plasma wind tunnel.
• Reusable, uncrewed orbital laboratory for experiments lasting 1–2 months.
• Runway landing test in 2026; first flight targeted for end of decade.

"The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully completed heat resistance tests for its reusable Space Rider spacecraft. The thermal protection system withstood 1,600°C in a plasma wind tunnel. Space Rider will operate as an uncrewed orbital laboratory for 1–2 months before returning to Earth for a runway landing. A landing test is scheduled for late 2026, with the first full mission expected by the end of the decade."